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May 3rd/4th, 2013 - OUR MONTHLY 4-hour ZAZENKAI!

NOTE: Our Dharma Talk this time will dive into the opening passages of the Genjo Koan (text below in this thread) ...

Please 'sit-a-long' with our MONTHLY4-hourZAZENKAI, netcast LIVE8am to noon Japan time Saturday morning (that is New York 7pm to 11pm, Los Angeles 4pm to 8pm (Friday night), London midnight to 4am and Paris 1am to 5am (early Saturday morning)) ... and visible at the following link during those times ...

... to be visible at the following link during those times and any time thereafter ...

LIVE ZAZENKAI NETCAST at GOOGLE+ IS HERE:CLICK ON THE TAB ON LOWER RIGHT FOR 'FULL SCREEN

FOR THOSE NOT ALREADY MEMBERS OF THE CIRCLE WHO WISH TO JOIN TO SIT LIVE WITH A CAMERA, INSTRUCTIONS are posted AT THIS LINK. WE ARE NOW LIMITED TO 10 INDIVIDUALS WITH CAMERAS, BUT ANY NUMBER CAN WATCH LIVE 'ONE WAY' AND SIT-A-LONG VIA THE ABOVE SCREEN. IF JOINING WITH CAMERA, PLEASE MAKE SURE YOUR MICROPHONE IS MUTED:

Our Zazenkai consists of our chanting the 'Heart Sutra' and the 'Identity of Relative and Absolute (Sandokai)' in English (please download our Chant Book at the link below), some full floor prostrations (please follow along with me ... or a simple Gassho can be substituted if you wish), a little talk by me ... and we close with the 'Metta Chant', followed at the end with the 'Verse of Atonement' and 'The Four Vows'. Oh, and lots and lots of Zazen and walkin' Kinhin in between!

Please download and print out the Chants we will recite at the following link (PDF):

I STRONGLY SUGGEST THAT YOU POSITION YOUR ZAFU ON THE FLOOR IN A PLACE WHERE YOU ARE NOT STARING DIRECTLY AT THE COMPUTER SCREEN, BUT CAN GLANCE OVER AND SEE THE SCREEN WHEN NECESSARY. YOUR ZAFU SHOULD ALSO BE IN A POSITION WHERE YOU CAN SEE THE COMPUTER SCREEN WHILE STANDING IN FRONT OF THE ZAFU FOR THE CEREMONIES, AND HAVE ROOM FOR BOWING AND KINHIN.

ALSO, REMEMBER TO SET YOUR COMPUTER (& SCREEN SAVER) SO THAT IT DOES NOT SHUT OFF DURING THE 4 HOURS.

I hope you will join us ... an open Zafu is waiting. When we drop all thought of 'here' 'there' 'now' 'then' ... we are sitting all together!

Yugen, the same thing happened to me, and then I had computer problems as well and didn't realize I was 1 hour and 15 minutes late by the time I joined. Of course I am not so visible as you are as you are serving as Doan but such things are human and no need for embarrassment. Thank you for your commitment.

I apologize to all of you for missing the start of the Zazenkai. I am really embarrassed to miss my Doan commitment. I showed up an hour late, neglecting to note that the four hour Zazenkai starts an hour earlier. I'm really sorry - I failed to support you in your practice tonight. And being Doan is just plain fun - I enjoy it.

Beautiful! I had lot of pain sitting today but Jundo's words on the Genjokoan really helped with that (I love Genjokoan anyway). It felt like if I pushed the pain away I was pushing away Buddha so Buddha and I sat with the pain. Would it be too much to ask for a (short) talk every week, or maybe alternate weeks? Would be lovely to have one of the Genjokoan commentaries as the book club book too.